1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the guidance of projectiles and, more particularly, to the terminal guidance of bombs, rockets and other weapons toward man-made targets when in the presence of ground clutter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In military conflicts, bombs, rockets and submunitions contained in glide weapons are deployed against radar discrete man-made targets such as bridges, vehicles and buildings. Although, in the use of such weapons, a direct hit on the target is highly desirable, errors in computing the proper release point of the weapon and unpredicted deviations in the weapon trajectories cause unguided weapons to generally miss their intended target. While laser and television weapon guidance systems have proven effective in overcoming these problems, these systems have the limitation that they cannot be employed while certain atmospheric conditions are in effect, specifically, during the presence of a low atmospheric ceiling. Additionally, these weapon guidance systems may require the weapon delivery vehicle to remain in the vicinity of the target after the weapon has been launched. For example, an aircraft may be required to illuminate the target with a laser beam or, alternatively, may be required to sustain communication with the weapon until its impact on the target. Such a requirement greatly mangifies the launch vehicle's exposure to coutermeasures of hostile forces.
There was, therefore, a need for a weapon guidance device which would be operative even under adverse weather conditions and which would operate autonomously of the weapon delivery vehicle.